At just 29 years of age, Tom McDermott won his third senior Australian Showjumping title at Boneo Park last weekend.
Tom, who also won in 2012 and 2019, rode Cachassini II to finish first and placed eighth on Cooley Gangster. He also rode Warraleigh Park Cortez to win the Australian Speed Championship.
Showjumping has been Tom’s life. He won his first junior showjumping title at age 12 and looks sure to follow the path of his father, Greg, who represented Australia at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1990. As the winner of the Australian Senior Championship title, he was awarded the Len McVean Memorial Trophy for 2022.
The championships were a huge event with740 horses and 410 riders competing in senior and junior events at the Mornington Peninsula venue over four days.
The Australian Young Rider Championship was won by Clemency Hughes riding Diamond B Corvina. The clean-jumping Corvina lowered just one rail in her five rounds of competition and was just one of many of the Diamond B bred jumpers to feature in the placings through the show.
The Junior Championship winner was Claire Zylstra riding Harvey B and the Children’s Championship was won by Imogen Lindh riding Licaviv.
Young riders were out in force, with Sally Simmonds riding Chio Ms winning the Australia Ruby series, Eliza Abrahams and her super partner Rocket Rod winning the Pearl series and Zara Adams was winner of the Opal Series.
Sunday Borrack and her pinto, Tane Mahuta, won the Ivory Series.
The State Junior Competition was run in conjunction with the qualifying rounds of the Australian Junior Championship. The team from Queensland won the State Junior teams competition from Team Victoria and Team NSW.
The Future Stars Series was held over two qualifying rounds with the top 25 placings invited to compete in the final competition. Ten moved into the final jump-off with Frida Lindgren and Sovereign’s Halo winning.
The Racing Victoria Off-the-track Championship showcases Thoroughbred horses in their new careers, and the top 20 horses from the two preliminary rounds made a final competition with a win to Katie Clark and Katelle Grand.
The Katherine Quilty Memorial Leading Lady Rider Award for the leading lady rider at the Australian Jumping Championships went to Olivia Hamood.
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This article appeared on The Regional on 9 November 2022.
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